Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

197: Chapter 197: A Journey North and the Extraordinary Talent of the Star CoreLeaving the cave where they had been hiding, Nangong Xuan and the other two did not immediately fly north in a high-profile manner. The Jin Jue Sect’s pursuit order was like an invisible giant net, spreading from Fallen Star Slope as its center toward the entire Land of the Far West and even further. From time to time, various streaks of light from escape techniques streaked across the sky, and Divine Sense scans swept over the mountains and rivers like a comb. Many of these auras carried the sharp Golden Baleful Qi unique to the Jin Jue Sect, and some were clearly Loose Cultivators or Cultivators from other Sects who had moved upon hearing the news, attempting to claim the bounty.

The three had not yet recovered from their injuries, especially Nangong Xuan. The aftereffects of forcibly triggering the resonance of the three keys and the star core’s devouring remained, making it truly unsuitable for him to engage in combat. They could only rely on Su Muxue’s keen Perception of Qi and Zi Linger’s faint ability to communicate with plants to avoid crowded and conspicuous places as much as possible, choosing desolate paths, traveling by night and resting by day, cautiously making a circuitous advance toward the north.

The journey was far more difficult than imagined.

The Land of the Far West was already barren, and the further north they went, the thinner and more chaotic the Spiritual Qi became. Although the Golden Baleful Qi permeating the environment was not as intense as at Fallen Star Slope, it was omnipresent, subtly eroding the Physical Body and Divine Soul. They had to constantly circulate their power to resist it, which was a great burden for the three injured people. If not for the chaos star core continuously converting and feeding back that gentle and strange energy, their injuries might not only have failed to improve but would have steadily worsened.

This land seemed to have experienced ancient battles; huge cracks, shattered mountains and rivers, and massive remains half-buried by wind and sand were frequently seen on the ground, somewhat similar to the sights at Fallen Star Slope, though to a lesser degree. The air was filled with desolation and deathly stillness. Occasionally, they encountered small villages or settlements where the local customs were mostly fierce and closed-off, and the people were full of vigilance toward strangers.

They did not dare enter any towns for supplies, relying entirely on Zi Linger activating the key of living beings to barely extract moisture and meager Spiritual Qi from some drought-resistant strange plants, as well as the limited stock already in Nangong Xuan’s storage ring.

However, amidst the hardships and difficulties, it was not all bad news.

After several days of cautious trekking and breath regulation, under the stable foundation brought by the initial balance of the three keys and the continuous energy feedback from the chaos star core, Nangong Xuan’s injuries finally stabilized and began to slowly improve. His depleted Sword Essence became full again, and because of several instances of extreme exertion and the baptism of the ancient remains’ residual power, it became even more pure and condensed than before. His comprehension of the Nirvana Sword Intent also deepened. He faintly felt that he had touched the barrier of the Golden Core Stage, and only awaited an opportunity to perhaps attempt to charge toward the Nascent Soul Dao. But this thought only flashed by; with danger lurking everywhere now, it was by no means a good time for secluded Breakthrough.

Su Muxue and Zi Linger’s injuries recovered faster, as Taiyin Star Power and Life Force inherently had unique advantages in healing. The two women’s strength had basically recovered to about eighty percent of their peak.

The greatest change came from the chaos star core.

Perhaps because it had devoured the residual power of the ancient remains and part of the energy from the Golden Brilliance Incarnation, the dark gold patterns on the surface of the star core became increasingly complex and profound, as if containing some universal principles. It was no longer merely passively converting and feeding back energy; it began to show some new, strange abilities.